Tisdale, others seek input on long-range plan

By: John Mack

Feb 05, 2016

Claflin University President Henry N. Tisdale has turned his attention to leading the college in the formation of a new strategic plan.
On Thursday, Feb. 4,Tisdale along with the planning committee held a town hall meeting with students to reveal the current draft of the university’s long-range strategic plan.
“To move the university forward, there must be a specific plan,” Tisdale said.
He and the committee shared various points on how they planned to move the university into a leading 21st century institution of higher learning. These include the advancement of technology and usage of it.
Tisdale stated Claflin will not be just a technologically advanced institution but a leading one as well. The availability of education will be more easily accessible for students anytime and anywhere, not just locally, making Claflin’s reach global.
Along with this was the proposal of six strategic goals as a plan of attack.Leadership and professional development – The university plans to implement classes and opportunities for them, and even the faculty can grow as leaders and become their own business owners.
“Every student who graduates will have the ability to be entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Zia Hasan, vice president of planning, assessment and information technology.Experiential learning – Plans are being made to ensure that students are also gaining real-world experience through the availability of more practical and hands-on training such as lab experience, internships, study-abroad opportunities and more.Academic excellence – The university is looking to create an environment conducive to and promoting quality education. Distinctive programs will be reflective of student interests and the needs of the workplace.Diversity – Claflin will aim to not only be diverse, but inclusive. Tisdale said diversity only means differences are present but inclusion means everyone will be allowed to participate and join together.Student success – Student satisfaction and engagement have been taken into consideration. Along the same lines as the focus placed on “academic excellence,” an emphasis will be made to strengthen the living-learning environment to ensure the students’ needs are met and they are satisfied with the services provided.Resource development – Claflin looks to implement strategies to grow the institution’s tuition and non-tuition revenue streams. This will allow the accomplishment of these goals and operational requirements.
What happens now?
The board will have a retreat in June during which the plan will be looked over, comments will be taken into consideration and changes may be added based on the findings.
The results will be provided once the university reopens from break in August.